Siena

Fonte Gaia

100

This central location serves as the site for the Fonte Gaia.

What is Piazza del Campo?

200

This is one of the social implications of the Fonte Gaia system.

Some citizens had the potential to extract water directly from the aqueduct. Those who lived near the Campo had easier access to the fountain. Women who in the past had carried water to the homes of the rich were out of a job.

300

This man designed the marble decorations on the Fonte Gaia.

Who is Jacopo della Quercia?

400

The construction of the Fonte Gaia system started in this year.

What is 1409?

500

These qualities define the Sienese aqueduct system.

Similar to a qanat-- ran underground and from spring source at a higher elevation.

Fonte Branda

100

These are the two uses of the settling pools.

1. settling of solids in the water 2. storage for times of draught

200

This is one of the reasons why the Sienese government decided to take on the financial burden of a more efficient water system.

-communal responsibility for supplying water to the citizens -industrial need for water mills (aspirations for growth) -concern over water security (draught and cases of war)

300

These four uses represent the hierarchical structure of water use in Siena.

1. drinking water 2. water for the horses 3. water for laundry 4. industrial uses (wool and leather) and for mills

400

These are the main characteristics of the Siena bottini system.

1. irregular geometry (followed the layout of the city) 2. porous tunnels--tunnels wind through the water source to collect water from the rocks along the way 3. organic vs. highly planned design of the system

500

These family members were the supposed inventors of the Siena bottini.

Who are Giovanni and Giacomo dell'Acqua?

Discussion Questions

100

These are the 4 different types of water sources in medieval Siena. (Also describe the advantages of using multiple sources-issues linked to reliability, hydrologic and other types of uncertainties, and the water quality requirements associated with different types of water uses)

1. groundwater- wells 2. rainwater- cisterns 3. excavated spring banks- fountains 4. springs- aqueducts Advantages: reliability in cases of draught and war (natural and political uncertainties). Variations of water quality allows for distinguishing among uses.

200

These factors are the main reasons for why cities might need to add new sources of water supply.

-Increased reliability through redundancy -Population increase -Earlier sources get polluted

300

These factors explain why medieval Siena did not rely on rivers for its water supply.

Topography: -Siena lacked a nearby river -Siena is upstream from the tributaries of nearby rivers

400

These two types of hydrologic extreme events were medieval Siena's main challenges. (Also, how did the city respond to such hydrologic extremes? What role did human intervention play in exacerbating hydrologic extremes?)

1. draught 2. floods Causes: deforestation, urbanization (laying stones for city expansion-- creating an impervious surface), intensive cultivation of the land

500

These qualities are the main differences between the bottini and aqueducts in Siena and the aqueducts in ancient Rome. (What is Kucher’s explanation for the differences between the aqueducts of Siena and Rome?)

1. organic organization and systemization (cause- layout of Siena) 2. methods of construction (unlined-porous vs. lined-nonporous aka impervious) 3. engineering styles (regularity and reproducibility of Roman aqueducts vs. site-specific approach in Siena) 4. tunnel meanders through the sources instead of leading to it 5. Romans needed a standardized approach because they were building aqueducts everywhere

Siena Hodgepodge

100

This term refers to the settling pools.

What is gallazze? (also, serbatoio or gallazzone)

200

Translate "Fonte della Monache."

What is Fountain of the Nuns?

300

Name this traditional Sienese race.

What is the Palio?

400

Name the government of Siena during the construction of the bottini system.

What is the Nine?

500

Name the Roman origins of the town name?

What is the story of Romulus and Remus?

Engineering Hodgepodge

100

This person invented the trebuchet.

Who is Taccola?

200

This deity was key in the inspiration of Sienese culture.

Who is Diana?

300

This culture originally worked with aqueducts in Italy.

Who are the Etruscans?

400

These are the general goals that della Quercia had in mind when creating the designs for the fountain.

1. civic symbol 2. source of drinking water (not as an industrial water supply)

500

These are the reasons why water carriers received such low wages.

1. over supply of laborers 2. availability of potable domestic water